Market & Evidence
Don't take our word for it.
Here are the numbers: how much critical technology remains locked in legacy environments, and what can happen when organizations try to replace it. All public, all named, all sourced.
The scale of what's locked in
74%
of respondents say their organization started at least one modernization program it failed to complete
29%
of technology leaders strongly agree their enterprise data meets the standards needed to efficiently scale GenAI
Named, sourced, public
When transformation becomes the risk
Large-scale replacement and transformation programs can introduce substantial cost, schedule and operational risk. SHIFT takes a different path: preserve the existing application and data first, then modernize incrementally.
| Program | Cost | Outcome | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| USVeterans Affairs — Electronic Health Record Modernization | Up to $49.8B lifecycle estimate | Deployment paused and reset; roughly 160 medical centers still awaited deployment after initial rollout | U.S. GAO |
| USSocial Security Administration — IT Modernization | $5B+ modernization spend, 2001–2011 | Long-running modernization of aging critical systems; continuing IT investment and management challenges | U.S. GAO |
| CanadaPhoenix Pay System | C$2.6B+ spent on stabilization and pay-error correction by Apr. 2022 | Auditor General concluded lack of oversight contributed to project failure; tens of thousands of employees affected | Auditor General of Canada |
| CanadaBenefits Delivery Modernization | C$1.75B initial estimate; C$6.6B current programme authority | Major multi-year replacement programme; timeline extended to 2031 as scope and estimates evolved | Auditor General of Canada; Government of Canada |
| UKTSB Bank — Core Banking Migration | £32.7M customer redress + £48.65M regulatory fine | 2018 migration caused widespread service disruption; all branches and a significant proportion of 5.2M customers affected | FCA / PRA |
| UKNHS National Programme for IT | £11.4B, 2002–2011 | Original vision was not realised; programme was substantially restructured after major delays and reduced delivery | UK National Audit Office |
| UKFiReControl | £635M | National emergency-services IT programme cancelled in 2011 | UK National Audit Office |